SPACE is designed to help parents of children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, OCD, and related challenges by focusing on changes parents can make to reduce their child’s anxiety symptoms—without requiring direct involvement from the child in therapy sessions.
At the Center for Psychological & Behavioral Science in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, we are proud to offer Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) treatment, a highly effective, evidence-based program developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center. SPACE is designed to help parents of children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, OCD, and related challenges by focusing on changes parents can make to reduce their child’s anxiety symptoms—without requiring direct involvement from the child in therapy sessions.
Through SPACE, parents learn strategies to reduce accommodations—such as reassurance, avoidance, or helping the child escape anxiety-provoking situations—that may inadvertently maintain the child’s anxiety. By adjusting their responses, parents can help their children become more independent and resilient in managing anxiety.
In addition to traditional anxiety and OCD treatment, we also offer SPACE protocols tailored for specific challenges, including:
– Failure to Launch in Young Adults: Many young adults face difficulty transitioning into independent adulthood, a situation often referred to as “Failure to Launch.” Our SPACE treatment for this challenge focuses on helping parents implement supportive, non-accommodative strategies to encourage growth and independence, facilitating a more successful transition into adulthood.
– Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in Children: ARFID is a serious eating disorder in children characterized by an avoidance of certain foods or food groups. Our SPACE protocol for ARFID helps parents reduce accommodating behaviors related to their child’s food avoidance, while fostering a supportive atmosphere that encourages gradual, healthy eating habits.
The overall goals of SPACE treatment are to:
– Decrease family accommodations that perpetuate anxiety or other related symptoms
– Build a more supportive and balanced home environment
– Foster independence and resilience in children and young adults
SPACE treatment is conducted through individual parent sessions with a trained therapist, making it a powerful and flexible approach for treating a range of emotional and behavioral challenges. Whether your child or young adult is struggling with anxiety, OCD, ARFID, or difficulties transitioning to adulthood, SPACE offers a structured, research-supported way to bring about positive change.
If you’re a parent of a child with anxiety, OCD, or ARFID; or the parent of an adult child with “Failure to Launch;” our South Florida (Palm Beach Gardens) therapists can help you make changes to promote your child’s recovery, with (or without) your child’s direct involvement in therapy. Moreover, our team-based approach can combine individual therapy for your child with SPACE-focused therapy for you in order to maximize your child’s progress and recovery.
